Hand In Hand
by heavenly-vixen
Summary: **UPDATED** MM - Set during/after Departure, What was going on in the minds of Michael and Maria during the most memorable nights of their lives **Completed**
1. Maria's POV

Title: Hand In Hand  
Author: heavenly-vixen  
E-mail: team_x_4eva@hotmail.com  
Rating: PG-13  
Disclaimer: Yeah right, If I owned it would I be writing this? I don't think so.  
Description: Set during/after "Departure" - Season 2. Missing scenes sort of thing. Kinda dark, but necessary to portray the state of mind they're in.   
Author's Notes: This is what I thought of while watching the episode. The body language and the seriousness of what was going on made me think of what could have been happening in Maria and Michael's minds at the time. Please. Feedback would be greatly appreciated.  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Maria Deluca walked inside her house, miserable, hoping that her mother didn't notice, hoping that she'd just let her walk straight to her room. Thanking whatever Gods were above her she managed to do just that. She walked straight to her bedroom, calling out to her mother to let her know she was home and she was going to take a nap. Hoping that would buy her sometime alone. As she opened the door to her room, ready to collapse on her bed and cry the tears that were threatening to spill for what seemed like hours she sighed defeated. There lay her best friend on her bed, waiting for comfort. Comfort for a lost love. Comfort for a broken heart.  
  
Her plans were shot to hell upon seeing Liz Parker. Maria wanted nothing but to lay in her room for eternity, just remembering. Remembering the love that she lost, and the most amazing, memorable night of her life as well as the most heart breaking. The night she'd made love for the first time, and to the boy she loved more than anything in the world, the one she knew she'd love forever. Her plans for the rest of her life were simple, become a famous musician and be with Michael. However that plan had been obliterated last night. So now, all she wanted was to lie in bed forever, just remembering. Remembering his hands caressing her, his lips seducing her, the way he looked down at her with so much love, the way he made her feel so special. As crazy as it sounds, she even wished that the pain between her legs never subsided. It was a reminder, a reality check, it reassured her that she hadn't dreamt it, it was real, he was real.   
  
She walked over to her friend, who looked about as bad as she felt and lay down beside her. She lay down to give Liz the comfort she wanted, and take the comfort she needed. A big part of her wanted to scream at Liz. She was mad at her, this was supposed to be her time, her time to cry, and her time to be heartbroken. Did she even care that her heart was breaking, that she too lost the man she loved? Maria knew it was pointless to ask the question because she knew the answer, she didn't. After all Michael never loved Maria and Maria never loved Michael right? All they were was eraser room buddies, right? That's what she believed, she even said they didn't belong together. So squashing the overwhelming anger down Maria reverted back to her role as the wacky sidekick and listened to Liz fret for Max, all the while thinking about Michael. Picturing his face, seeing him above her again, hearing his words over and over again "I love you too". She lay holding back the tears that burned the back of her eyes. Until brought out of her silent reverie by her mother's frantic words. Not matter how hard she tried not to; she hated everyone at that moment. She hated the fates; the gods, the planet & the life that stole her love, the world that wouldn't let her have the time to grieve the loss of something so precious and the cruelty of letting her feel it coming. But once again she pushed everything aside and took on the role she was doomed to play forever.   
  
Rushing to the kitchen, straight to her mother, she learned with Liz a truth. The person responsible for taking Michael away from her twice took her best friend too. Innocent little Tess Harding, I don't think so. She was a thief, the worst kind. She stole Alex's life; she stole him from them. She stole Max from Liz, Alex from Isabel, Michael from Maria. Now it was time to fight. A glimmer of hope returned to Maria's broken heart as she contemplated the possibility of stopping him from leaving, of seeing him again. Getting to at least kiss him, hold him and tell him one more time that she loved him and she always would. But from that hope sprung a new heartache. What if she was too late? Would this really be good bye? Forever?   
  
They sat in silence as they drove towards the caves. This was her last chance, would she loose it? Would she loose Michael Guerin, forever?  
  
TBC... 


	2. Michael's POV

Title: Hand In Hand  
  
Author: heavenly-vixen  
  
E-mail: team_x_4eva@hotmail.com  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Disclaimer: Yeah right, If I owned it would I be writing this? I don't think so.  
  
Description: Set during/after "Departure" - Season 2. Missing scenes sort of thing. Kinda dark, but necessary to portray the state of mind they're in.   
  
Author's Notes: This is what I thought of while watching the episode. The body language and the seriousness of what was going on made me think of what could have been happening in Maria and Michael's minds at the time. Please. Feedback would be greatly appreciated.  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Michael stood by and watched as Max and Isabel said goodbye to Valenti. He wanted to say something but he couldn't, he couldn't find any words and if he'd opened his mouth the only thing that would have come out was 'Maria'. She was the only thing he could think about. He'd always had a great memory and he prayed it wouldn't betray him this time. The last moments they'd had together he studied her, everything about her, burning it into his mind forever. He couldn't believe it was happening, he was really loosing her. Suddenly registering his surroundings again he walked with the others toward the Pod Chamber.   
  
As they were walking Michael began to have trouble breathing, "Oh god I'm hyperventilating" kept running through his head, but it wasn't his voice he heard, it was Maria. The sound of her voice was always a comfort he fought but now it hurt more than anything. It reminded him that this was the only way he'll ever hear her again. Again his thoughts strayed from home, back to Maria. He remembered as they lay in each other's arms after he'd told her that he was leaving. She didn't cry, thankfully, if she'd cried with him there he wouldn't have been able to leave. Instead she sang. Her beautiful voice rang out as she sang to him.   
  
"No I can't forget this evening  
Or your face as you were leaving  
But I guess that's just the way   
The story goes  
You always smile but in your eyes  
Your sorrow shows  
Yes it shows  
No I can't forget tomorrow  
When I think of all my sorrow  
When I had you there  
But then I let you go"  
  
Michael fought not to cry. Each word stung, it burned inside him, what was he without Maria? Who was he without his little pixie girl? He was nothing, no one and whoever was waiting for him on his planet was soon to realise that Michael Guerin or whoever they thought he was, was dead. He died in the arms of the one he loved as she sang her goodbye.   
  
They entered the chamber and Michael barely noticed. He looked up and saw the familiar sight of the mysterious cone that I guess wasn't so mysterious anymore. Before he knew what he was doing the words came out.   
"Max.... I can't go. Ever since we came out of the pods, I've been on some quest to figure out where I belong. I finally found home. The weird thing is, it's here, it's on earth."   
  
As soon as he said it he knew it was right. But he'd left something out, something that when he found his way back into Maria's arms would come out. 'My home is with Maria'. It kept repeating in his head as he said goodbye and stepped out of the chamber. He almost laughed when he saw Maria, her beautiful face. He was about to grab her, pull her into his arms and swing her around. He would have kissed her for everything he was worth and whispered over and over again 'I love you'. But he was stopped when she voiced something he never expected to hear "Tess killed Alex!"  
  
Michael ran back into the pod chamber, what else could he do? He had to stop them from going to what, could in all uncertainty be, their deaths at the hand of a liar. On auto-pilot he warned them all and went through the motions, make sure Maria's safe, get every one out, second guess Max, that was always fun, but above everything else, make sure Maria's safe.   
  
They all rushed out and stood outside waiting for Max, waiting for what was going to happen next. Michael had to control himself from pulling Maria into his arms. He almost lost her, but he still could if anything went wrong, now he had to protect her, later he would hold her.   
  
Max ran out and still all that remained on Michael's mind was Maria. Someone in the more isolate regions of his mind thoughts like 'There goes my last chance' and 'That's it I'm stuck on earth now' ran through his mind, but the more reasonable side of him reminded him that he was home. An overwhelming urge to smile crept up on Michael at the thought, but as usual he suppressed it. He only smiled for one person. Maria moved closer to him and his gaze focused on her alone. She looked up at him confused. He could always read her; she was an open book.   
  
"You opened the door and you came out-- why? ... You stayed for me."  
  
Michael looked at Maria, his Maria and pulled her closer. They stood by and watched as Tess and Michael's last chance to see where he came from disappeared from site. There was nothing else they could do. Neither of them registered the significance of the situation, although they knew it would hit them sooner or later. For now they just enjoyed the comfort that came from holding the one you love and knowing that nothing and no one would ever tear them apart ever again.  
  
TBC... 


	3. Fin

Title: Hand In Hand  
Author: heavenly-vixen  
E-mail: team_x_4eva@hotmail.com  
Rating: PG-13  
Disclaimer: Yeah right, If I owned it would I be writing this? I don't think so; it would have been in the series. + The song Hand in Hand is by 98 degrees. The song featured in Chapter 2 was Without You by Mariah Carey  
Description: Set during/after "Departure" - Season 2. Missing scenes sort of thing. Kinda dark, but necessary to portray the state of mind they're in.   
Author's Notes: This is what I thought of while watching the episode. The body language and the seriousness of what was going on made me think of what could have been happening in Maria and Michael's minds at the time. Please. Feedback would be greatly appreciated.  
  
Chapter 3  
  
The drive home flashed by before Michael and Maria could register that they had left the desert at all. The next thing Maria knew they were at Michael's apartment, Michael beside her fumbling with the keys. Finally he gave up and used his 'Samantha-genie powers'. Maria smiled to herself at the thought. The two were silent as they walked into the apartment that still looked as it did when they left. Maria looked around before turning to Michael. She looked into his eyes and couldn't hold it anymore. The tears that had threatened to spill since he whispered to her,   
"We're leaving in a few hours. We have to, I have no choice. I don't want to leave you. But we both knew someday this would happen", spilled down her cheeks. Michael reached forward, slipping an arm around her waist; he pulled her to him. He slowly ran his hands up and down her back soothingly. "Shhh, baby, everything's going to be ok, I'm here and I'm not going anywhere". Michael whispered in her ear trying to calm her. Maria smiled and pulled back to look into his eyes.   
  
Michael moved one hand from her back to wipe away her tears. Slowly he moved in closer and captured her lips with his. Maria relaxed into his embrace and returned the kiss. The kiss became very passionate, the two only pulling apart when the need for air presented itself.   
"I love you" Maria whispered breathlessly. Michael stared at her in awe.  
"I know… I love you too" he gently placed his hands on either side of her face and again kissed her. The two began to back towards his bedroom.   
  
Clothes began to be removed, as the couple became more and more passionate. Michael lay Maria down on the bed and crawled on beside her. He stopped for a moment and just looked into her eyes. She was mesmerising; there she lay, staring up at him with so much love, Maria, his Maria. He said something then, caught up in the magic of her eyes that came from deep within his heart. "What did I ever do that was so great, to ever deserve you?" Maria smiled at him.  
"I was just thinking the same thing… Spaceboy"  
"I promise, I will never ever leave you again. I love you so much" Maria thought she was going to cry again. Here was Michael, her Michael confessing his love for her, she was beaming.   
"I love you too, more than you'll ever know" Michael leaned down and kissed her again. Maria saw stars, not the alien-flashy kind just the kind that comes from loving someone so much that they're oxygen and you don't know how you ever breathed without them.   
  
They began to move together, as one. This time the flashes Maria saw were of the supernatural kind. She saw everything that had happened in the last 24 hours and couldn't believe how lucky she was. At the same moment Michael saw what he always did whenever he saw into Maria's soul, love. As they climaxed together Michael caught Maria's mouth in an unbelievable kiss, swallowing her screams of pleasure.   
Michael pulled Maria into his arms and ran his hand up and down the length of her arm. He kissed her forehead lovingly and smiled to himself. He couldn't help himself any longer.  
"Maria?"  
"Yeah baby" God he loved that.  
"Sing to me" Maria smiled, she thought for a moment that she probably should be worried about her friends but she just couldn't. Even as guilty as it made her feel, she really didn't care about the others, as long as she had Michael that's all that mattered.   
"Of course baby, and go to sleep, I'll be right here when you wake up"  
"Promise?"  
"I promise" She smiled as she leaned in to kiss him softly before beginning to sing her lover to sleep with the voice of what Michael was sure was an Angel.  
  
"One thing I'm sure of is  
That we will always be  
Even though the road seems  
To get a little rough  
It's for you I live I can do anything  
And it will never be too much.  
  
In my darkest hour you are  
There to light the way  
And when I'm down you  
Always lift me up again  
Oh, oh, oh, oh  
You know me  
Better than I know myself  
You comfort me and let me know  
With you I'm gonna win  
  
Walk with me hand in hand  
We will help each other  
Understand how to go through  
There will never be a day  
That we'll grow apart  
So we'll forever be   
Together hand in hand"  
  
Michael drifted off to sleep, her voice soothing him in to what would prove to be the best sleep of his life. Maria lay awake for a while just watching him, feeling his arms tight around her. Finally it hit her, the reality of the situation, and she was in heaven. There he was, lying in her arms, asleep. Staying for her. Staying for them and the only thing either of them ever wanted. Love!   
  
"Sometimes I'm wrong  
And even in that case  
You didn't go away you  
Stayed right next to me  
As time goes on I realise  
That you're for me  
And I will love you for eternity"  
  
Fin 


End file.
